Gang-plank



(No Model.) Y

R. B. AYRES.

y GANG PLANK. No.,308,86'7. Patented Deo. 9, 1884.

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IlNrrnD STATES 'PATENT OFFICE,

RUBEN B. AYRES, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

GANG-PLANK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 308,867, dated December9, 1884.

i Application tiled July 11. 1884. (No model.) l

To all whom t may concern/.- y

Beit known that I, RUBEN B. AYREs, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Gang-Blanks, of which the following isafull,

clear, and exact description, reference being had to the annexeddrawings, making part of this speciiication, in which Figure 1 is aperspective view showing manner of handling gang-planks; Fig. 2, a sideelevation of gang-plank; Fig. 3, a vertical longitudinal section on line3 3 of Fig. 4; Fig. 4, a plan of my improved gang-plank with sectionbroken away, showing rollers and endless chain; Fig. 5, a detailvertical section on line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

The object of my invention is mainly to save labor and time in loadingand unloading a boat; and to that end I provide a gangplank with amovable tramway, which tramway can be set in motion or kept at rest atwill.

The construction and operation of my invention are as follows:

`A A is the frame-work or side pieces of my improved gang plank; a,longitudinal slot on side pieces, A A; B, tramway; b, crosspieces oftramway; B B, large rollers; O C, 85e., series of rollers; D D, endlesschains; d, openings in endless chains; E, cog-wheel; e, cog-wheel shaft;F, flexible steam-tube. y

To contain the internal working parts, my gang-plank is made hollow, andwith a view to strength it is made slightly convex in form, as shown inFigs. l, 2, and 3.

Journaled in bearings in the frame-work pieces A A, at either end ofsame, are large rollers B B", and journaled in bearings in frame-workpieces AA are the series ofrollersC C, &c. The tramway is composed ofcross-pieces b b 11,850., and the ends of these cross-pieces are carriedalong the line ofthe longitudinal slots a of the frame-work pieces A A.Underneath and near the ends of these cross-pieces b In b, 8vo., whichcompose the trainway, and attached to the same, and resting upon thedepressions C of the series of rollers O C C, Src., is the endless chainD. This endless chain D is provided with openin gs d at equal distancesapart along entire length of chain, and cogs on cogwheel E mesh intothese chain-openings in operation of this device.

In my invention the endless chain D and cog wheel E and their respectiveconnection and relative arrangements with tramway and rollers andframe-work are duplicated-that is to say, there yare two chains D andtwo cog-wheels E, both cog-wheels being on saine cog-wheel shaft, e, allarranged in same manner and performing same functions.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Rotary motion is impartedto cog-wheel E through cog-wheel shaft e by any of the wellknown methodsof imparting rotary motion toY shafting. Motion being impartedtocog-wheels E, their cogs mesh into openings d in endless chains D, andendless chains D being attached to cross-pieces b b of movable tramwayB, thereby imparting motion to tramway B, and endless chains D findsupport and movable bearings in depressions C on series of rollers .O C,&c., and on large rollers B B, and the movable tramway is thus carriedalong rollers C and around large rollers B B in a continuous circuit.The result is that instead of using men to carry freight from landing toboat or from boat to landing, as heretofore done, freight is carriedalong gangfplank by the movable tramway.

This gang-plank can, when desired, be used with its tramway stationaryby locking the p cog-wheel shaft e,- andthe direction of motion oftramway B is governed by direction of ro- .tation of cog-wheel shaft e.

In the drawings, Fig. 1, Ishow an arrangement for carrying steam, bymeans of ilexible tube marked F, from boilers of boat alongline of ropeand pulleys to a small engine placed in center of my hollow gang-plank,by means of all of which motion is imparted to cogwheel shaft e,- but,as stated herein, the matter of imparting motion to cog-wheel shaft emay be done in any suitable manner.

l. A gang-plank having frame-work pieces A A, provided with longitudinalslots a, said frame-work pieces being the side pieces of gang-plank, andacting as supports for end rollers, B B', series of rollers C, and acogwheel driving shaft, e, internally located IOO in center ofgang-plank, in combination with movable tramway B, said tramway being`attaehed to endless chain D and cog-wheel E, when arranged and operatedsubstantially as described.

2. In a gang-plank with a movable tramway, the framework pieces A A, inwhich are hung,

as described, end rollers, BB,series of rollers C, and oog-wheel shafte, movable tramway B,

Io endless chain D, having openings ,saidtram-.I

way B and endless chain D being connected so as to move together in samedirection, and Cogwheel E, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature,in presence of twoWitnesses, this 11th day of June, 1884.

RUBEN B. AYRES.

Vitn esses:

PAUL BAKEWELL, FERNANDO SAUTER.

